Bio

A former professional Opera Singer, and PA to the composer Gian-Carlo Menotti, I recently began a new journey, as Composer, Producer, Recording Artist, oh.. and Record Label owner. I chose the name Classicalbanksy not because I fancied myself as a painter - far from it, I can’t paint to save my life! Banks is a family name, and when I joined the union Equity in the 1980s, I chose the name Simon Banks, as an actor called Simon Roberts was already registered. But not unlike Banksy the painter, I do feel a bit nonconformist. Walking away from a career in opera, turning my back on the Establishment, to re-emerge as Classicalbanksy, my maverick, (renegade even) artistic alter-ego. So, who, or what, is Classicalbanksy? I am the collision of two musical ‘tectonic plates,’ the worlds of Opera and Pop. My music is fuelled by the fiery passion and drama of opera, yet seeks to calm the emotional turmoil of modern life, with the simplicity and sincerity of pop music at its best. My own brand of ‘Operatic Pop’ erupted into life with the release of my debut single, “The American Dream?” in February 2017. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-american-dream-single/id1205870917 To date, “The American Dream?” has been remixed by two top British DJs, Greg Mitchinson (https://classicalbanksy.bandcamp.com) and most recently by Mancunian musician and DJ De Vesçi, (https://classicalbanksy.bandcamp.com ) marking his commercial debut. There’s no rest for the wicked, they say, and I’ve been wickedly busy this last year or so. Commissioned to compose music for two historical documentaries by The Manorial Society of Great Britain (msgs.co.uk), I recently consolidated this experience, as a student of Hans Zimmer’s Film Score Masterclasses, in early 2017. The invaluable training and experience I gained from Hans has already led to two film-score composition projects, including composing the score for “Forever Eddie,” directed by Conor Boru. I’ve created music for campaigns for Greenpeace, Johnson and Johnson and Mercedes Benz, and will be collaborating further with the Hans Zimmer team at the Community Sundance Film Festival in California, in 2018. Future plans include the Olymp’Arts Festival, France, in 2019. My debut album, “Transgenre,” is a multi-genre smorgasbord, including “The American Dream? - The Spitfire Session,” “This is the Place” featuring poet Tony Walsh, and the title track “Transgenre” featuring British opera star Susan Bullock. These and other ground-breaking music will be released by Lyric Media Group at the end of 2017.

London United Kingdom

Member since: 30 Nov 2017